Coral seems heathy but pal. What should i look into.

[BeMoto]

This is the coral when I first got it. This was several months ago.

This is the coral today.

Othere than the color I would say it's healthy. It's been growing and puddling at the base. But it being so pale it concerns me. I did have a few corals appeared to bleach out over night. I turned down my Kessil ap 700 from 85% down to 75%. I do not know the par. Might test it in the future.

Water parameters are the following

Temp 80
Salinity 1.0265
Cal 400 salifert
Mag 1350 salifer
Alkalinity 9 Red Sea Pro
PH 8.15 salifert
Nitrate 0 Salifert

I'm considering dosing nitrates.


The system is a red sea reefer 250, so 55 gallon. Been doing 10 gallon water changes by weekly with Red Sea salt pro. I only have a pair of clowns and a tomini tang in the system. I'm using a skimmer. The tank has been up with livestock in it for 10 months. Started it with dead rock and seeded it with 12 pounds seeded rock from the lfs.

Please ask any questions, any info is appreciated!

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

This is the coral when I first got it. This was several months ago.

This is the coral today.

Othere than the color I would say it's healthy. It's been growing and puddling at the base. But it being so pale it concerns me. I did have a few corals appeared to bleach out over night. I turned down my Kessil ap 700 from 85% down to 75%. I do not know the par. Might test it in the future.

Water parameters are the following

Temp 80
Salinity 1.0265
Cal 400 salifert
Mag 1350 salifer
Alkalinity 9 Red Sea Pro
PH 8.15 salifert
Nitrate 0 Salifert

I'm considering dosing nitrates.


The system is a red sea reefer 250, so 55 gallon. Been doing 10 gallon water changes by weekly with Red Sea salt pro. I only have a pair of clowns and a tomini tang in the system. I'm using a skimmer. The tank has been up with livestock in it for 10 months. Started it with dead rock and seeded it with 12 pounds seeded rock from the lfs.

Please ask any questions, any info is appreciated!

You need to get Nitrates up. Your coral is starving. Slow down on the water changes and feed more. NO3 should be at least 5 and most have better coloration at 10-25. PO4 should be at least .03

 

[BeMoto]

could anyone recommend a product to dose with to raise nitrate levels. I've been feeding heavy for a while now.

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

could anyone recommend a product to dose with to raise nitrate levels. I've been feeding heavy for a while now.

Neo Nitro from Brightwell.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

If you’re saying the acro bleached overnight then I think you may have a more acute stressor than low nutrients (temperature swing, alkalinity swing, voltage, heavy metals/leeching, etc). Is any of that a possibility?

As for nutrients you can absolutely have colorful healthy acros with low nitrates and phosphates (mine are 0.2 and 0.03 respectively). How many fish do you have and how often do you feed them? I firmly believe that with a healthy fish load that are fed frequently throughout the day you can have low nitrates and phosphates with successful corals. I much prefer this to dosing nitrates because it’s a more natural approach.

 

[BeMoto]

Neo Nitro from Brightwell.

Thanks Lfs didn't have it so I ordered it.

If you’re saying the acro bleached overnight then I think you may have a more acute stressor than low nutrients (temperature swing, alkalinity swing, voltage, heavy metals/leeching, etc). Is any of that a possibility?

As for nutrients you can absolutely have colorful healthy acros with low nitrates and phosphates (mine are 0.2 and 0.03 respectively). How many fish do you have and how often do you feed them? I firmly believe that with a healthy fish load that are fed frequently throughout the day you can have low nitrates and phosphates with successful corals. I much prefer this to dosing nitrates because it’s a more natural approach.

There is 2 clowns and a tomini tang. I feed heavy once a day and twice on weekends. There was one coral that turn pale over night. I'm not really sure how else to describe it.

I see your point. The only thing I've seen not stay steady 100% is my alkilinity dipped from 9 to 8 ever 4 days. I brought it back up to 9 slowly.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Thanks Lfs didn't have it so I ordered it.

There is 2 clowns and a tomini tang. I feed heavy once a day and twice on weekends. There was one coral that turn pale over night. I'm not really sure how else to describe it.

I see your point. The only thing I've seen not stay steady 100% is my alkilinity dipped from 9 to 8 ever 4 days. I brought it back up to 9 slowly.

How big is the tank? You could probably have more fish and feed more. That Alk doesn’t seem like a huge issue. But if it went from dark to pale overnight it’s very unlikely that it’s related to nitrates.

 

[BeMoto]

55 gallon

 

[BeMoto]

The pictures above didn't happen over night. But one of my frags did turn pale/white overnight.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

55 gallon

The pictures above didn't happen over night. But one of my frags did turn pale/white overnight.

I would think you could have more fish in that size tank. I have 6 fish in my 35 gallon. If the one above happened over a prolonged period of time then that could be related to low input. Do you have pictures of the one that happened overnight?

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I would suspect a alk. Ph. Salinity swing over the night. Crazy that.coral.is still polyping out like that. Its very bleached.
D

 

[jda]

Feed the fish more. The zoox in the coral cannot use nitrate, so adding it on the back end will not help the coral. The fish will make ammonia/ammonium and then the coral can get nitrogen from those.

Residual numbers are meaningless, as long as they are not too high. Availability through heavy feeding is what drives the bus. Throughput with heavy import and heavy export.

That could also be pale from too little lighting.

The rock and back glass look sterile... no coralline. You tank just might not be ready for an acropora.

 

[BeMoto]

Feed the fish more. The zoox in the coral cannot use nitrate, so adding it on the back end will not help the coral. The fish will make ammonia/ammonium and then the coral can get nitrogen from those.

Residual numbers are meaningless, as long as they are not too high. Availability through heavy feeding is what drives the bus. Throughput with heavy import and heavy export.

That could also be pale from too little lighting.

The rock and back glass look sterile... no coralline. You tank just might not be ready for an acropora.

Can coralline also be pale?

I believe I have coralline it just pale, maybe I have more than one proplem.

 

[jda]

Coralline comes in every color imaginable, but rich purple, deep burgundy red, brown and green are the most common. None of them are pale.

 

[BeMoto]

I would think you could have more fish in that size tank. I have 6 fish in my 35 gallon. If the one above happened over a prolonged period of time then that could be related to low input. Do you have pictures of the one that happened overnight?

Could you recommend some fish for a sps dominate tank. The only fish I really want is a blue spotted jawfish.

I'll have to look on my computer for pictures of the frag you mentioned.

 

[Brandon McHenry]

Could you recommend some fish for a sps dominate tank. The only fish I really want is a blue spotted jawfish.

I'll have to look on my computer for pictures of the frag you mentioned.

There’s a ton that could work in a 55 gallon. You could do chromis, Royal gramma, firefish, dottybacks, flasher wrasses, blennies, gobies, cardinalfish. I’d look into some of the groups I listed to see what you like and don’t like.

 

[Big E]

Get your temp down to 77. Higher temps are a disaster when corals are that pale.

I move corals when they get pale to almost complete shade. If you can't do that cut your photo period way down.

6 hours is plenty till you can get some nutrients to the corals and the zoo re- populate the corals.

 

[BeMoto]

Started dosing nitrate and phosphates last night. I'll take my time bringing them both up. Also started to feed 2 times a day pretty heavily.

I'm also looking into added a few more fish as well. I have been putting it off because it takes so long to quarantine fish.

I'll keep everyone posted.

 

[BeMoto]

I currently have this one going now too. 1st picture was from awhile ago and the 2nd one was from yesterday. This one has been around for 2 months or so with no sign of growth. This happened over night.

 

[sculpin01]

No nutrients, high alkalinity, and UV exposure/excess lighting are probably you major stressors. Until your nutrients are elevated (NO3 > 5, PO4 > .15), I would keep your alkalinity around 6-7 (ocean water where corals normally grow is 6-8). Decrease your photoperiod and turn UV and Violet channels completely off. Then start with something bulletproof like a Montipora confusa or Montipora spongodes. Once you've mastered them (and your Acropora austera/valida no longer looks like a ghost), try adding something else.